TNK-BP Top Managers Having Hard Time at Rosneft

When British Petroleum sold its share in TNK-BP to Rosneft, the Russian oil major took on some of the Russian-British joint venture's top managers, but not all of them appear happy with their new employers.

Speaking before the sale, Rosneft representatives said their company would retain the cream of TNK-BP's staff in an attempt to create a synergy effect out of the acquisition.

But while a number of TNK-BP top managers have been successfully incorporated into Rosneft's ranks, others are apparently dissatisfied with their new working environment.

Two newly appointed vice presidents, Olga Malyshkina and Nikolai Ivanov, have resigned, just a month after joining Rosneft, Vedomosti reported.

Malyshkina was one of the first top managers invited by Rosneft president Igor Sechin to direct the company's tender committee and purchases department, while Ivanov directed the department of planning, performance management, development and investment in exploration and field production.

Experts told Vedomosti that former top managers at TNK-BP were leaving their new posts owing to differences in the two companies' business practices.

Meanwhile, a source in Rosneft told the newspaper: "This is a natural process of integration of Rosneft and TNK-BP at the end of which only Rosneft will remain."